US resumes air drops aid into northern Gaza

An American cargo plane dropped more than 10 metric tons of rations into northern Gaza on Sunday, the US military said, after a suspension of such deliveries due to Israeli operations in the area.

Gaza's population is in dire need of humanitarian assistance after eight months of devastating conflict, and the United States turned to delivering it by air and sea as Israel delayed the entry of aid via land.

The air drop provided "life-saving humanitarian assistance in northern Gaza," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

"To date the US has airdropped more than 1,050 metric tons of humanitarian assistance" in addition to aid delivered via a temporary pier attached to the Gaza coast, it said.

"These airdrops are part of a sustained effort, and we continue to plan follow-on aerial deliveries," CENTCOM added.